Wednesday 20 February 2013

Recent Events

Well I think its time for an update as its been a while now.
So I took a nice Break over Christmas Giving my self chance to recover and rest. I headed out to Spain in January not for climbing though just a holiday, although I did get a little climbing done. I found a cool Wall of limestone about 20m long and around 6m high, There were a few bolted lines on it but i decided a traverse of the wall would be more fun. So I set to work on it and after working all the moves out and finding a good sequence through the last hard crux i thought I would give it a shot but fell on the last Crux. I was tired tho and left it, then 2 days later i went back and dispatched it first go. It was a really nice line that traversed for around 10m and then finished up a 6c/+ route. I gave it a Personal 7b+ but it would probably be better at around easy Font 7A+. So then I came back from Spain and hit the climbing gym hard building on my power for around a month. This proved to be a great benefit as a project of mine from last year needed climbing before the end of Feb when the bird ban comes into play. So I put the last bolts in and Started to try the route, I had worked the sequence last year but was not strong enough to link the moves. So I pulled on and managed the first moves which aren't to hard but then you press this smear and reach up to a horrid sidepull sloper, you then need to move your left foot high and reach up to a undercut half pad two finger pocket which needs to be static or its need on impossible to hit. So i fell here a load of times and eventually managed to stick the pocket which i had never done before, then you make a  slap to a pinch and the last few tricky moves of the lower section. but i fell here and needed to work those moves before I could do it. Then i pulled on and made it through the lower section to the semi rest. from here the grade eases to around 6b but i was pretty pumped after so many trys and struggled to make it to the top. I named the route Fractured mind as it follows a large fracture up the center of the face and is almost impossible to read from the ground so its a real mind game to find a sequence. I said the route is around 7c as the first half is very hard but then easier for the second half. its an amazing line though and well worth the effort. Also a bonus i have it on video here       https://vimeo.com/59895039